Is this a dream?
Ezekiel’s submerged unconsciousness.
Suddenly, a Fire Elemental girl waved her hand.
“My name!”
At first, it seemed she had only built a hut near Ezekiel’s heart, but now she stood before a rather luxurious mansion.
“Listen to my name!”
The girl cupped her hands by her mouth and shouted.
“My name is Sarman!”
Sarman.
Coincidentally, it was the same as the name of the Sun God.
…
…
…
“Has the audience chamber been mistaken for a bedroom? It’s almost been a week. What a deep sleeper.”
Ezekiel snapped back to reality at the Emperor’s voice.
He quickly sat up. That fluffy feeling? The Emperor had made a bed on the floor of the audience chamber.
Ezekiel hastily started flapping his lips.
He had many things to say, but the first thing on his mind was, of course, the affair with the 1st Princess.
“Your Majesty the Emperor, about this incident…”
“Enough.”
The Emperor cut him off first, as if he had already understood everything.
“You’ve excellently sifted through the northern warriors, and even resolved the issue that had troubled the 1st Princess for decades. I won’t hold you accountable for taking her purity.”
“Ah.”
“Well, it seems more like she lost her sympathy than anything else. I saw the 1st Princess walking around the Imperial Palace all cheery; it’s a sight I’ve never seen before in my life.”
“…Yes. If you say so.”
Ezekiel, who was on the verge of freaking out, felt relieved that the Emperor so readily said that. It had indeed been rather unfair.
However, just then…
Suddenly, his heart throbbed painfully.
“Ugh…!”
Ezekiel forgot about being proper and rubbed his chest while half-raising himself from the bed.
He had wondered if he might actually die from the aftermath of the 1st Princess, but now the situation was very different.
Fwoosh-fwoosh─!
Swishhh─!
Like a tai chi symbol, heat and chill swirled together in a large circle, with every rotation flooding Ezekiel with tremendous energy.
‘It still seems that the balance isn’t quite right.’
It wasn’t a perfect tai chi, but wouldn’t it be a big surprise that heat had formed within his body?
The Emperor spoke then.
“I can feel your realm has risen. The mental energy must have been siphoned off quickly but indeed, the achievement is great.”
Though he had fainted from the mental energy drained by the 1st Princess, it meant that his condition had been superbly rectified.
Ezekiel felt it too, tremendously.
“I spoke with the Sun Elixir Spirit in my subconscious.”
Ezekiel blurted that out suddenly. While it was an unknown phenomenon to him, the Emperor seemed to have an idea of the answer.
Then, something quite surprising happened.
The usually indifferent Emperor showed interest.
“…Explain in detail.”
“Well, I didn’t exactly have a conversation; I just heard a few words. She introduced herself.”
“Her name? What was it?”
“Sarman. That’s what she said.”
“Sarman….”
Perhaps there was something to the name, as the Emperor immediately unfurled a formless energy and began to scrutinize Ezekiel.
Then a protracted silence followed.
One minute, five minutes, ten minutes…
The Emperor finally broke the silence while fiddling with an apple.
“Well, the condition seems ambiguous. We’ll discuss this again later.”
“Yes.”
Ezekiel quickly agreed.
Was it a phenomenon even the Emperor didn’t know about, or was he just not sharing? In any case, there was no way for him to learn about it right now. He needed to steadily observe his own body.
“Ezekiel, do you know you’ve been out for a week?”
“A week…?”
“You’ve been collapsed in the audience chamber for a week. In the meantime, some urgent matters have arisen, so let’s talk about those.”
While fiddling with the apple, the Emperor continued.
“The demons from the Demon Realm have attacked the Purple Magic Tower. The Purple Magic Tower suffered a major defeat. The issue is, the mages from the Imperial Tower who went to support are now missing.”
Ezekiel frowned as if he didn’t quite understand.
“But the Purple Magic Tower is a group of battle-specialized mages, right? Even if they were ambushed, they should have been able to handle it decently.”
That was natural, but each Magic Tower had its own nature.
The Purple Magic Tower specialized in lightning elements.
Just as the Yellow Magic Tower supervises other towers and the Blue Magic Tower quietly studies ice, the Purple Magic Tower was specialized in battle against enemies.
They were like thunderstorms descending upon opponents.
Yet the Emperor said,
“Such an interpretation must be given that extraordinarily strong opponents attacked. You know that? The current circumstances of the Demon Realm have been quite unusual.”
Then it became all the more perplexing.
“Why would such strong beings suddenly come?”
“To put it bluntly, the chances are high that it’s your fault.”
“…What?”
A question clouded Ezekiel’s face, but the Emperor continued fiddling with the apple, unbothered.
“The traces of the Ice Ghost have been found on the continent.”
Ice Ghost, a title that once belonged to Ezekiel.
“Though there’s no record of you on the continent, demons generally live a long time. There’s a chance that some officials may still remember you.”
The massive stone tablet map rose at one side of the audience chamber, and the Emperor pointed places here and there with his formless energy.
Ruiple, Black Tower, Thicket of Thorns, in the domain of the 1st Princess.
“I’ve dealt with fiends in the Ruiple region, then tackled a few in the Black Tower, did away with fiends in the Thicket of Thorns as well, and killed the northern warriors colluding with the Demon Realm….”
“Ah.”
“You see, it makes sense now. Even if they don’t know you were once the Ice Ghost in the Demon Realm, it’d be plenty of reason to bear a grudge.”
Ezekiel sighed briefly.
He had started to move remarkably quickly and impressively, so it was only natural that he would become the top priority troublemaker for the Demon Realm.
“I believe I am indeed the cause.”
“Well, I’d rather blame the weakness of the continent’s mages than you. Things have been too peaceful for too long.”
The Emperor sounded quite cold.
“You get to decide whether you go out or not. It will likely be the hardest task among the recent missions.”
“Did they attack the Purple Magic Tower head-on?”
“They used the underground labyrinth as a passage to attack.”
The Emperor detailed the structure of the labyrinth on the stone tablet.
They said the Emperor had all the terrains of the continent in his head. Indeed, that seemed no exaggeration.
“By the way, your assistant has also gone missing here. She left earlier because you collapsed.”
Ezekiel’s expression turned grave at those words.
When he retraced his last memories, Agnes had been caught up in the affair with the 1st Princess and had suffered a lot. She must be in an immensely confusing situation…
‘She must have left to support the Imperial Magic Tower for the sake of the Emperor’s honor.’
While her mind was understandably in chaos, she likely set out to help the Imperial Magic Tower. For that sentiment alone, he wanted to save her no matter what.
However, a few questions remained.
“…If I being the Ice Ghost is the goal, why didn’t they target me directly? I don’t understand why they first attacked the Purple Magic Tower.”
“Looking at the location of the Purple Magic Tower, it’s obvious.”
The Emperor pointed to the map.
There were visibly bustling cities and trade hubs around the vicinity of the Magic Tower. It was a spot that mages had to frequently pass through for various exchanges.
“If they attacked the Magic Tower, support would likely arrive from other towers. In other words, they knew support would have to come and they aimed for that.”
The Emperor continued calmly.
“Shall I share some good yet crucial news?”
“Please do.”
“Your assistant and the mages from the Imperial Tower are still alive.”
“They didn’t kill them right away?”
Ezekiel asked, genuinely relieved.
“Right, the demons that came this time aim to secure hostages from the mages who came to support rather than seeking total annihilation. Do you understand now?”
“…Hostages?”
“You’re understanding well. The more hostages there are, the harder it is for you, the Ice Ghost, to act.”
The Emperor’s words were accurate.
The biggest difference between demons and humans.
Demons don’t care if their comrades die, but humans value their allies’ lives very deeply. It showed that the assailants were calculating.
“This attack likely seems aimed at you, Ezekiel. The demons have sharpened their knives.”
The Emperor threw the apple and caught it again.
“Well, that’s how the situation stands, and it’s up to you to act or sit back and ignore it.”
“I’ll depart immediately.”
At that, there was a hint of laughter in the Emperor’s tone.
“You’re not asking for a deal this time?”
“Yes. That’s not what’s important.”
There was no point in discussing rewards. It was merely the strong sense of duty as an inspector that stirred within him. It was a matter he had to take care of without fail.
“I admire your determination. If things go well, it’ll deal a blow to the demons’ forces, so I’ll make sure to arrange a reward for you.”
The Emperor chuckled with satisfaction.
“Moreover, it’s possible that if you succeed, the Magic Tower might happily grant you a vision technique.”
The vision technique, the Sun Elixir, popped into his head for a moment.
…
However, those thoughts quickly scattered.
At present, Ezekiel held no intention of focusing on deals or rewards. Such things were completely sidelined.
He merely hoped for the safety of those who had started to recognize and praise him, someone who had lived in utter obscurity until now.
“…I’ll go immediately. Then, I’m off.”
Ezekiel swiftly left the audience chamber.
And finally, the Emperor was left alone in the audience chamber.
“…Interesting. Truly an interesting fellow.”
The Emperor murmured softly.
At the same time, he had to acknowledge it.
Ezekiel, who had merely been seen as a tool or puppet, was gradually beginning to be reevaluated in his heart.
How madly had he rushed?
Ezekiel quickly arrived in the domain of the Magic Tower.
Simultaneously, a dense mana surged forth.
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